MAYORAL MINUTES · Attachment 1 to the Ordinary Meeting Minutes dated 19 March 2026 - Noosa Council Submission_SCWA Bill 2026

      duplication of monitoring activities
      conflicting decisions regarding dredging, erosion mitigation, or river health
      uncertainty about which agency holds decision-making authority when sediment-related
       issues arise rapidly (e.g. sudden shoaling)

For a dynamic estuarine system such as the Noosa River, unclear delineation of responsibilities
may hinder rapid and coordinated responses.

More broadly, the establishment of the SCWA introduces multiple areas where the Authority’s
responsibilities appear to overlap with, duplicate, or conflict with Noosa Council’s existing
statutory functions. These risks arise because the Bill confers broad responsibilities on the SCWA
while simultaneously stating that it does not displace local government obligations under the
Planning Act 2016, Local Government Act 2009, or the Coastal Protection and Management Act
1995. This creates the potential for intersecting mandates over the same waterways,
infrastructure assets, and land–water interfaces.

For a highly constrained waterway like the Noosa River—characterised by shallow bathymetry,
sensitive ecosystems, and significant environmental overlays—unclear responsibility for
sediment-related interventions could result in:

      inappropriate dredging
      altered hydrodynamics
      habitat loss
      increased community concern and reduced confidence in waterway management


A6. Infrastructure Planning and Delivery Conflicts
    Part 2, clause 11, Part 3 clauses 13-15, 18, and 19-21 of the Bill empowers the SCWA to
    install, manage and maintain infrastructure for the Sunshine Coast waterways and to
    prepare both a 10-year Strategy and a 3-year Program to guide these investments.
    However, Noosa Council already undertakes significant planning for:
        1. boat ramps and land-water interface infrastructure,
        2. foreshore, parks and open space areas,
        3. riverbank and public access infrastructure,
        4. community facilities and public realm improvements.

    Because Council retains planning and development assessment responsibilities under the
    Planning Act, but SCWA acquires parallel powers to propose and deliver public marine
    facilities, several risks emerge:




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